12th July : Howth, Definitely in the Republic now !

Rockabill lighthouse was passed at 13:00, and Lambay Island at 14:25. A call to Howth Yacht Club Marina reserved a berth for the night, and we were secured by 15:40. On the way into Howth itself we saw a large fleet of boats approaching from the South, and a committee boat to the North. We worked our way through the fleet, and headed for Irelands Eye ( the island just off Howth, and then into the harbour and our designated berth.

Looks like a bit more to Howth, so booked in for two nights. The Yacht Club is very imposing, and the marina was much bigger than I expected. On the West side of the harbour a significant fleet of fishing vessels were tied up with several fish and seafood dealers and many restaurants specialising in seafood. 

 

On the first evening we walked up into the village to locate the nearest supermarket ( although 'super' might be stretching it a bit ! ), then out onto the sea wall to take in the views.

The following day we found WiFi outside the clubhouse - luxury, so checked e_mail and weather forecasts etc. A little later we wandered out to find the DART station ( Dublin Area Rapid Transport ) to see if it was easy to get to the airport from Howth, then found a pub and had a pleasant lunch and a pint of Guinness. 

On the 14th, after a fairly casual breakfast, we headed out of the marina bound for Dun Laoghaire ( pronounced Dun Leary ?**?!? ).